This has been a World Cup full of surprises! And, it's ready for its grand finale... where the surprisingly strong and resilient Croatians will meet the flair of the French counter attack and pacey forays. A month is over and July 15 will see the play-making and hardworking Croatians take on the favourites France, and city fans are sure about who they are supporting. Waiting with bated breath for the grand finale to unfold on Sunday evening at Moscow. We take a deeper look...
Bangalore FC footballer Collin Abranches says, “Croatia it is for me, as they have never won a world cup. They have had a very nice run and form in the World Cup so I think it would wonderful if they win. In terms of who has the better chance of winning, France is much more experienced when it comes to world cup finals as they have been in quarters, semi- finals, finals and have won. So, they know how it feels.
But, Croatia has a fantastic mid-field and they have a good striker in Mario. Their game and style is very skillful and incisive. After watching the last matches; Mbappe has been fantastic with his pace, and also Luka Modric and his understanding of the game. Croatia's Mario Mand zukic, is a complete striker." For many the fact that Croatia is a relatively new country with a past of many upheavals, their victory would be a sign of hope that the country men and many fans across the world are hoping for.
Actor Chetan Kumar feels that the Croatian team has proven itself wonderfully at the tournament as they went from being one of the smaller teams to defeating big wigs and becoming finalists. He says, "I support Croatia because this is the first time they have come into the finals of a football world cup. I generally support countries that are underdogs and Croatia is a very small country when compared to France. But, I think France is the favourite as it has a lot of world class young players who have played together in the under 18 leagues. France has also come out of most tough group. Because, they defeated a favourite team like Belgium, and talented teams like Uruguay and Argentina — which has one of the greatest players in the world, Lionel Messi. They have a lot of young and immigrant players who are good. Croatia in the past three games have been down at 1-0 but they have come back to win the game. Among the Croatian players Luka Modric has to be my favourite. Even Danijel Subasic has done splendidly well. Croatia has a better mid-field while Mbappe is the best in France." Actor Shashank Puroshattam feels that although France has more experience, Croatia has experience in emerging victorious from difficult matches which might give them an edge over France. He says, "I'm actually on the fence about the team I'm supporting as a few of my friends support France but I wouldn't be disappointed if Croatia won as this is the first time they are in the finals. They have been the underdogs. In way I think France, because of the experience, have been doing really well. But Croatia might have an edge over France as a lot of their games have been difficult but they have come back to win it. I like Kylian Mbappe for the energy he has and it is great to see a young sports person come from no where and take charge."
Cricketer Shreyas Gopal says, "It will definitely have to be France and the reason for this will have to be Paul Pogba, their captain. When compared to Croatia, I think France has a better chance of winning. In terms of players, it will have to Pogba again as I think his skills cannot be matched.”
